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Regarding U.S.A.-based contributors, was wondering how many of you register your images with the U.S. Copyright Office/Library of Congress. I'm asking in light of all of the theft that has been detected of late. If you do not register your images, is it something you simply opt not to do, or something you have considered and just have not done yet?
If a stolen image is used in a product campaign or packaging, most photographers would opt to sue. As it stands, the law favors those whose images were registered at the time of the infringement, or within three months of first publication.
Further reading: https://corporate.findlaw.com/intellectual-property/are-punitive-damages-available-under-the-copyright-act.html

Hello there!
I don't understand this rejection reason... This is my work created from scratch. Perhaps there are similar concept out there but this is not someone else's work - its mine so how this can "infringes on another person's intellectual property" ?!

Hi, newbie here!
I hope you can answer me.. I've started taking some pictures and uploading them here and I know that you can't upload a picture of something with copyright, but I've seen a lot of good pictures of monuments like Sagada Familia, casa Batllo, tour Eiffel and more.. and supposedly this monuments you can't upload them here not on commercial and neither on editorial..
My question is that.. how to upload pictures of monuments and cities with copyright without being regected?
Thank you!

Hello.
I received an email with compliance recently. Another shutterstock contributor accused me in stealing and selling her artwork.
I am the sole creator and owner of all copyrights in every work in my portfolio so it isn't a problem for me to provide all needed information.
I answered all questions and gave details about creating my illustration (including attached sketches as references) that's why it is a false accusation from another shutterstock contributor.
Despite of this my portfolio was disabled and I still didn't receive any answer. All of my illustrations disappeared from my account after the notification: "Your account has been temporarily disabled, contact support."
I understand shutterstock team, they do their job. All compliances need to be checked.
The problem is that because of another contributor’s false accusation my sales have extremely dropped. My illustrations disappeared from the Most Relevant in search and I don't know if they will appear there after solving this problem. Anyway even if they will, they can drop in ranking by popularity so I will lose much more sales.
All downsides of this situation are on my side and I’m still waiting for response.
I didn't find any case when false accusation from another shutterstock contributor was punished, but I'm sure that it must be!
How will I regain my lost sales and time? I suppose that such penalty will be a good lesson for false accuser.
I also did not find any information about false accusation and penalty for it in contributor agreement or elsewhere.
Otherwise, how falsely accused contributors can regain their reputation and damages?

My photo of Berlin TV tower and St. Mary's church was rejected, although there are many pictures of these buildings already on ShutterStock and other stock photography agencies, for commercial use. It's unlikely that all of them have property releases, but if so, how do I obtain one?
The reason for rejection: "Intellectual Property: Image potentially infringes on another person's intellectual property rights (e.g., image contains artwork, writing, sheet music, or objects protected by copyright)."

So I was looking at illustrative editorial search results, specifically hand drawn sketches, and the results showed a lot of politicians, musicians, etc but the poses used are recognisable ones from original photographs by other people but with no property releases attached to the images. So, my question is, if you are creating an illustrative editorial hand drawn sketch of a famous person, is it permissible to use a famous photograph for "inspiration" to create a derivative work without infringing on the original photographer's copyright protection? If anyone can link to any articles, etc it would be a great help. Many thanks in advance.

Hello, illustrators. Etsy Problem again.
Some people resell vector files (EPS etc) from microstocks. I already found several of my vector images. Take a look at those Etsy shops, maybe your vector illustrations are also there.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/6DogArts?ref=l2-shopheader-name
https://www.etsy.com/shop/DigitalPoliArt?ref=l2-shopheader-name
https://www.etsy.com/shop/BKAWorkshop?ref=l2-shopheader-name
https://www.etsy.com/shop/ALEXANDRARTES?ref=l2-shopheader-name
None of microstocks' licenses allows to resell files, it's infringement. Let's find our stolen images and report the sellers. The more illustrators will report the infringement, the better.
We work hard to draw all those images, and in the meantime some geniuses make easy money just taking dozens of our images, making sets and reselling it on Etsy. I guess, these four shops it's only a small part of the problem. I think there are more "entrepreneurs" like that. It's a shame that Etsy.com became a perfect platform for selling stolen images.

Hello Everyone sorry if I'm posting in wrong section as I'm new here i don't know where to post, my question is if i take photos of everyday people i need release for those pictures for example i go to market and ask shop keeper if i can take his photo in shop and tell them that i'll sell your photo on shutterstock and he agrees do i still need release from him ? thank you

Hi guys. I accidentally found same picture in 2 different photographer's portfolio
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/pyramid-giza-egypt-797299771
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/beautiful-profile-great-sphinx-including-pyramids-102914510
What can we do?

Hi guys,
I have a problem when I export my photos..., exif data shows the name of the previous owner. So it looks like this:
Author and copyright: my name
Copyright notice: my name
Owner: NOT my name
Will that create a problem while uploading photos to shutterstock - will my photos be rejected?
p.s.
It's an old dslr so I haven't found out how to remove that from camera

Hi everyone, got a question for you...
I received a cold call from a Washington D.C. lawyer today regarding a couple of my images "that have been used repeatedly by apparel manufactures." Everything in my being says to ignore this guy as 1) It's a cold call. 2) He didn't call my business number - he called my home phone. 3) He has shown me the images in question, which certainly are two of my best sellers and as I sell them through multiple agencies I haven't a clue to whom or for what purpose they've been sold.
Anyone have this happen to them? This is actually the 2nd "legal entity" who has contacted me regarding a few of my wolf images. The first guy I told I didn't have any way to confirm or deny the images hadn't been sold on microstock and my paying a lawyer to investigate wasn't worth my time or money (considering my current image profit rate). He "kinda" accepted that, but continues to send me emails whenever he finds another "violation".
Advice, please. I hate talking to people on the phone and really don't want to open up a line of communication with yet another "legal entity" if they feel it gives them the permission to keep contacting me.
Thanks.
-Holly Kuchera
*edit* I did some checking, and realized that I don't really know what number he called me on as my phone system is currently set up to "divert" calls from the business number to the home phone (I'll be talking to my phone guy - the hubby - about that when he gets home from his day job). In addition - our home phone # is unlisted so it's likely he didn't call that. But also interesting is that he sent followup emails to the business email address, which is listed on our website, AND my personal email, which is not. Granted, my personal email address could be obtained in any of a hundred ways...

Hello dear contributors,
I have searched on the web, in the helpdesk of Shutterstock and in this forum but could not find a good way of how to find out if my images are stolen or not. For example: I have a specific image sold 6 times but it appears on 11 different websites.
I know that I can use google images to re-find my images used on the web but how can I find out which of these images are licensed or not? I am pretty sure you have some methods that would be very helpful for a newbie like me. How do you deal with this?
Best regards, Kors

Dear fellow contributors,
I frequently search for my own photo's on the internet and lately I retrieve my photographs more and more at websites that sell prints.
Today this one for example: https://www.art.com/gallery/id--a28687/robin-nieuwenkamp-posters.htm
Or this one: https://myloview.de/fototapete-gemeiner-schimpanse-wissenschaftlicher-name-pan-troglodytes-nr-6691AB9
The thing is, that most of these images have dominantly sold as subscriptions: the one showed here as an example only sold once as OD for 2,48
I am really eager to know how it is possible that SS buyers are able to resell our images as prints/wallpapers etc. whilst this is nowhere stated in the sales conditions that are being communicated to us. Do more of you experience these kind of sales? Do you know whether the resale of our images by second and third parties is allowed under SS conditions?
Regards,
Robin

Just saw one of my image online with the following link
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/lifestyle/travel/must-visit-museums-that-will-open-in-2018/ss-BBIuXsK?li=BBoPWjQ#image=6
The author has credited me with Shuang Li/shutterstock which is correct. But thing is, the image has NEVER been sold through Shutterstock. It has 0 download. And I haven’t uploaded the image to any other stock image website.
How did MSN.com get my image without purchasing it? Does it happen to anyone else? How can I protect my copyright?

I am trying to find out more about submitting photos of artwork (paintings, sculptures, installations) taken in art museums.
First of all, is it allowed to submit them in the first place? If yes, are they supposed to be submitted as Editorial (with date and location)?
Second, is there a difference between classic and modern art? For example, if the artist is still alive, I assume it is not allowed without that artist's permission, since this would clearly be a copyright violation. What happens with the classics - for example, is it allowed to submit a photo of a Van Gogh painting in the National Gallery? Does the frame of that painting fall under any copyright laws?
I appreciate any help in finding answers to the above - I wasn't able to find this on my own.
Thanks!

I found one of my images being given away on a website today, and in looking further, I see they are offering HUNDREDS of stock photos -- including from Shutterstock -- for free. They encourage the user to download any of the files, and then give them a code to embed to credit the photographer and agency, but without a purchase being made. I see through a google search that this issue has been brought up by other people, reported to upstreams, DCMA takedowns being submitted -- but they're still going at it.
http://www.pinsdaddy.com/unconscious-women-only_NiW1Hp7j6*bW38LLSgNF0T6NPZMU*u54ilXXBOKaCkg/4

I don't get it why did I get a rejection for my own picture??? This is mine and I can prove it.
"Intellectual Property -- Image potentially infringes on another person's intellectual property rights (e.g., image contains artwork, writing, sheet music, or objects protected by copyright)."

Hi!
My photo posted on http://www.wallpaperbetter.com without my permission and I received a warning from Shutterstock.
Has anyone got into this situation? What to do to unlock upload photos?
http://www.wallpaperbetter.com/nature-and-landscape-wallpaper/crocus-flowers-spring-18155
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/blossom-crocuses-spring-mountains-184948388

So sad to find my already much copied file on here also.
This is my file
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/dna-sign-eps10-vector-201652685?src=YEM9gubYh1fgasg_24OJ5Q-1-3
This is the modified one
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/dna-abstract-icon-element-collection-futuristic-321400667?src=p6E2M__XiusMo09AQv7FFQ-2-13
Further more, I find copies of my file on IS and the numbers site (and on pinterest etc. etc.). This takes up so much time.

Hi, I found a website that offers my images (and others') for download for free, for personal use (as the site states) and for posting on facebook . Each image is offered with a code for posting the picture in websites and as a signature in blogs. Basically people can browse and share the images in their medias. it's possible that the site operator purchased my images from one of the stock sites. Is such usage allowed? if so, What kind of license would the buyer need? I want to know before I contact the site operator. Here is a screenshot. Thanks for the advice!

Hello,
So far, the images I up load to image libraries are produced exclusively for this purpose. Now I have an opportunity to quote for 35 book illustrations and, if successful, I would like to put these on Shutterstock too. I wondered what the copyright situation is concerning this? I would like to include in the quote that I hope to put the illustrations on image libraries. If the client says they are happy for this to happen then all is well. However, can I do this whether the customer likes it or not as I produced the images? I would mention, these illustrations have been commissioned for use in a 'one off' book which is to a gift.
Many thanks